3. Consider applying for workers’ compensation

Your employer may have a benefits plan through an insurance company that pays for other benefits such as:

• sick leave or some other “wage loss benefit”, which is money that replaces wages you don’t get while you’re injured
• short-term or long-term disability insurance
• health care benefits, such as physiotherapy, chiropractic care, medications, crutches, and other medical devices

If you’re not sure what caused your illness or injury, you should apply for both workers’ compensation and workplace benefits through an insurance company if you have a benefit plan at work.

This will give you a better chance of having some income while you’re off work because of your injury.

If you make a claim for sick benefits through your employer’s benefits plan, tell the insurance company that you were hurt at work, and that you’re also claiming workers’ compensation benefits. The injury is not officially work-related until the WSIB accepts the claim. If this happens you will probably have to repay the insurance company any sick benefits you received. 

When you make a claim to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB), the WSIB decides if you can get benefits